


Righteous Indignation

by Tiofrean



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: And Failing, Eavesdropping, Elizabeth Trying to Be Helpful, Established Relationship, Humor, James and Jack Are in Cahoots, M/M, Mildly Injured Jack, Misunderstandings, Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29495952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiofrean/pseuds/Tiofrean
Summary: During Norrington's stay onboard the Black Pearl, Elizabeth senses infidelity in the air and tries to interfere. Hilarity ensues.
Relationships: James Norrington/Jack Sparrow
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	Righteous Indignation

**Author's Note:**

> I just love Sparrington, k? 
> 
> This ficlet was read over by MermaidSheenaz and Count_Snarcula, and neither of them went after me with a broom, so I guess it's fine. 
> 
> Also, if you're curious about what else we get up to, check out our POTC fic that has a lot of goats and a lot of Gibbs being the mother hen :3 
> 
> Enjoy!

They had been on their way to get the chest of Davy Jones - a mismatched group of adventurers on a mission from hell. There were pirates, their captain, a proper lady and a recently-demoted commodore. Somehow, in the middle of their rather lengthy voyage, Jack and James had started to spend more and more time together, a fact commented widely - but warmly - between the Pearl’s crew. Whatever they were doing behind closed doors, it was not Elizabeth’s business, so she tried to stay away from it. Well,  _ tried and failed,  _ because if there was anything stronger in her than her stubbornness, it was her curiosity.

And there she was now, after an impromptu battle with a Spanish ship, during which Jack had taken a rather nasty slice to his thigh from a Spaniard’s blade, after which he had been dragged away by a rather shaken James and put into Gibbs’ care in the captain’s cabin.

Elizabeth leaned closer to the door separating her from the men, listening intently. She was sure there was no way Jack could love the man who had wanted to hang him, so she was intent on finding out exactly what was going on. Having the pirate captain injured and currently out of commission -  dotted on by Mr. Gibbs in his cabin \- was not a bad start for her investigation. She just needed to keep quiet and listen on, avoiding any of Jack’s crew. 

“Stop wriggling around, ye blasted duck!” The quartermaster’s voice came from the inside, gruffy and apparently displeased, but Elizabeth could swear she heard an undercurrent of concern somewhere deep inside it.   
“It _hurts!”_ Jack whined, then cursed loudly. “And I am no bloody _duck!”_   
“It wouldn’t hurt so much if ye weren’t movin’ ‘round!” Gibbs was exasperated, that much was clear.   
“Bugger! Stop, _stop!”_

There was a sound of the hands being batted away angrily, and Gibbs gave a sigh loud enough to be heard through the door. Elizabeth pressed closer. 

“Tell me, how did me girl do?” Jack’s voice was dreamy suddenly, almost drunk, and Elizabeth’s eyes widened.    
“Oh she was splendid, capt’n. You should ‘ave seen her in all her glory! Such a sight! And she fought bravely, too!” 

_ It was unacceptable! _ Elizabeth fumed silently, still listening on, her thoughts racing through her head. It was clear now that Jack was cheating on James, no matter what the outer appearances told everyone. The captain was a good actor, snarling and dangerous one second, just to turn mellow and puppy-eyed the next, melting even the coldest of hearts. It was no surprise that he had managed to win James over, especially with James’ commission gone to hell. She couldn’t really understand the attraction that could bind two men together, but she had to admit that she had wondered -  _ just once or twice _ \- about other women herself. Even that pirate girl, Jack’s first mate… 

“Aye, she must have been incredible! Loud and angry… my beauty!” Jack exclaimed with all the air of a love-sick puppy. Gibbs snorted loud enough to be heard through the wood separating them from Elizabeth, who gritted her teeth.    
“Ye shouldn’ ‘ave let that Spaniard jab ye in yer thigh.”   
“I know, eh? Bloody  _ hurts!”  _   
“Oh I’m sure yer lady is gonna make it better soon,” the quartermaster said, a smile evident in his voice.    
“But when am I going to see her fight so splendidly, Josh?  _ When? _ It was a one-time opportunity before we go on looking for that damned chest...”    
“Oh I think you can ‘ave some fun yet, capt’n.”    
“Aye…” Jack muttered after a while. “All of us! Speaking of which… how did James fare?”    
“Oh he’s good with ‘is sword, but he would never be as good at handlin’ her. She’s only smitten with ye.” 

That was enough for Elizabeth. Huffing, she turned on her heel and marched topside, spotting James near the helm. He was gazing out through the spyglass, his hair a windswept mess, his clothes surprisingly neat, though they no longer consisted of his uniform jacket and the white breeches. This here was a pirate, not a commodore any longer, and Elizabeth felt a pang of sadness when she realized that there was little to tie him to the land now. It was such a shame Jack had to screw up the sea for James, too. 

“Elizabeth!” He greeted, pocketing the spyglass and looking at her when she stepped on the quarterdeck.    
“I need to talk to you…” she mumbled, glancing around. “It’s… delicate.”    
“Delicate? What can be delicate on a pirate ship?” James asked, surprised, then took in the deck they were standing on. Barely anyone was close, just Mr. Cotton manning the helm and his faithful parrot ruffling its feathers with a squeak.   
“I don’t think it wise to talk about it here… it’s about Jack.”    
“Ah! How is he? I needed to make sure the Spaniards were not following us, but now that it’s become clear they had given up, I can go and see him finally.” 

He looked concerned, something natural for a man with a warm, caring heart. Elizabeth had no idea how the captain managed to worm his way into James’ good graces, but it was clear that there was more than just… the cabin boy business between them. At least on the former commodore’s side. She gulped.    
“I’ve just been there… James, I think Jack is cheating on you.” She rattled off, biting her lip, looking down until she heard him snicker. 

The sound soon turned to laughter, and she raised her gaze, only to meet his amused eyes.    
“It’s true!” She protested, stepping closer. “I’ve heard him talking to Mr. Gibbs, and they discussed a woman… I think she might be Jack’s first mate, seeing as there is no other girl here and she took part in the fight earlier.”    
“You are another girl,” James pointed out, staring at her unfazed.    
“Yes, but- it was  _ not _ me! He was talking about how beautiful she was and how magnificent while fighting and- James?” 

His merriment didn’t cease, quite the opposite, in fact - his smile turned into a wide grin and his eyes glittered with mischief. She frowned, ready to spill all the details she had learned, when Norrington moved forward.    
“Ms. Swann, if you will come with me…” he prompted, sweeping a hand in invitation. He led her to Jack’s cabin, finding it devoid of Gibbs. Once they closed the door behind them, with James still grinning like a madman and Elizabeth silently fuming, the captain jerked awake. His leg was bandaged up to his hip, the linen strips blending in with his drawers, save for a few bloody spots, and Elizabeth turned her gaze to the side. 

“Jamie, me love!” Jack exhaled, reaching out with both hands as if he could pull James to him despite the couple of feet’s worth of distance. Surprisingly, Norrington gravitated towards him, sitting at the edge of the cot, grabbing one of Jack’s palms, probably to placate him.    
“Behave, we have company,” he pointed out, which made the captain look to the side, smiling lopsidedly.    
“Lizzie, my sweet!” He started, but Elizabeth stopped him sharply.    
“Is that what you call your _ girl?!”  _ She asked, her tone icy. Jack frowned.    
“Of course! She’s a temperamental one!”    
“What?” Elizabeth gasped, then looked at James, who was obviously trying not to laugh. “You knew?

At this, Norrington burst out in giggles, barely able to contain his mirth.    
“Jack,” he started, getting the pirate’s attention immediately, “tell Elizabeth what we’re going to do to your lady once we make a friendly port…”    
“Oh… jewelry, lass!” He said with a leer, and Elizabeth’s eyes widened in indignation. “We are going to decorate her in the most beautiful copper, all the way down her belly!” 

At the mention of the girl’s body, Elizabeth gasped, shocked. Did they have no shame at all? The  _ both _ of them?! 

“I don’t understand…” she muttered, stupefied. James calmed himself down just enough to wheeze out a few words, gasping between them.    
“Jack… what is… the name of… your lady?”    
The captain looked at him uncomprehending, blinking owlishly.    
“What?”    
“The name of your  _ girl, _ Jack.”    
“The… Black Pearl…?” He said it hesitatingly, almost as if he suspected some kind of a plot.  “Is that a tricky question?” 

Elizabeth spluttered, Norrington laughed, and Jack continued on blinking.    
“But…” she recovered finally, glancing between them. “What…  _ jewelry?”  _   
“We are going to fit her with copper along her keel… to keep the woodworms away.”    
“So… The Black Pearl?” She squeaked, confused but with a twinkle of understanding finally lighting inside her mind.    
“Who did you think?” James asked, still amused.    
“Anamaria…” Elizabeth muttered, which resulted in another peal of giggles, this time from the both of them.    
“What… like… f-” Jack started, but James interrupted him quickly, aware of the presence of a lady between them.    
“Sleeping with her?” He shook his head, while Jack splayed his arms dramatically to his sides.   
“We would both be singing soprano, lass. And not in a fun way.” He explained, cringing. “What a horrendous idea!” 

Somehow that  _ horrendous _ idea gave them another attack of laughter, and Elizabeth chose that moment to excuse herself, wandering out with a firm resolution to keep away from their business in the future. 


End file.
